One of the key elements of balance in any yoga balance pose, assuming that stability is taking care of, is keeping the bodies center of gravity over the foundation.

The Foundation of a Yoga Balance Pose

I'll define here the foundation of a yoga pose as any part of the body that is in contact with the floor and that is supporting some portion of the body's center of gravity. In general this means that any part of the foundation that presses down into the floor because it is supporting the weight of the body.

Part of staying balanced can include choosing where to position your center relative to your foundation, i.e. which part of the foundation are you trying to keep your center over, and also being able to sense where you center of gravity is relative to your foundation.

This means not only sensing when your center is over your target area but also sensing when your center is moving away from the target area.

Centers of Gravity

Sensitivity without the ability to effectively respond is an exercise in frustration (unless you like frustration) and so another part of balance is being able to control your body in such a way that you can position your center and move it as required.

Shifting Your Center of Gravity Relative to Your Body

One idea that may be helpful in this regard is to think of each part of the body, the forearms, the upper arms, the head, the ribcage, the pelvis, the thighs, the calves and feet, as each having their own center of gravity.

The position of the body's overall center of gravity depends on the position of all of these elements relative to each other.

As an example, standing upright with arms by your sides places your center of gravity somewhere on the centre line of your body, over a point between your two feet.

Move one arm to the side, without moving any other part of your body, then you shift your center relative to the center of your body. It moves closer to the side of the body with the arm that is outstretched.

Move the other arm out then your center again returns to your center line.

Move one arm forwards and the other arm back then your center of gravity remains fairly close to your front back center line.

Standing upright and pushing your hips left and leaning your torso right then your center of gravity will remain stationary relative to your feet. Instead your pelvis will have moved relative to your center so that your center is now to the right side of your pelvis. (See pictures above).

Bending forwards at the hips while upright, your hips will move back and your torso forwards. If you lift your heels (while staying balanced) then your center will be at the point of your body directly over your foundation.

In this position if you reach start with yours arms back and then reach your arms forwards, your body will move back relative to your feet. Reach your arms back and then your body will move forwards. What this means is that as your arms move, you shift your bodies center relative to your pelvis.

Balancing in Crow Pose (Bakasana) and Other Arm Balances

Since your hands are in front of your feet (with your knees against your arms) to balance on the hands in this pose you have to shift your center forwards, so that it is over your hands. So you have to move your body forwards.

This same is true in most arm balances if you start with your weight on your feet (or foot) behind your hands.

To balance in these yoga balance poses you have to get your weight, your center of gravity forwards over your hands.

Half Moon Pose

In a pose like half moon pose it can be easy to shift your weight towards your hand so that your center is actually over a point between your hand and foot. How do you then lift the hand? By shifting your body so that your center of gravity is over your foot.

Balancing in Side Plank Pose

To balance in side plank pose, you have to have your center of gravity somewhere over the line that connects your supporting hand and foot. To make it easier to keep your center of gravity over this Foundation Line you can make your foundation wider by placing one foot in front of the other. To balance with only one foot on the floor make sure that your bottom foot is stable.

One of the easier ways to stay balanced in this pose is to move the hips. If you feel your weight shifting forwards then move your hips backwards. If you feel your weight shifting backwards then move your hips forwards to compensate.

And for either of these corrections stop when you feel your center of gravity is over the center line otherwise you'll just hip sway between the two nearly unbalanced positions.

Balancing in Bound Headstand

If you are trying to lift into headstand with legs straight then it helps to understand that with your feet an inch off of the floor you have to move your hips back to counter balance the weight of the legs.

Moving the legs to horizontal the hips have to move back even more.

From here approaching the legs vertical position the hips can move forwards so that you keep your center of gravity over your foundation.

For more on lifting into headstand with knees straight readYoga Headstand

Moving from Plow Pose to Shoulderstand (Without Hurting Your Neck)

To avoid excess stress on your neck move your hips forwards (away from your head) to balance the weight of the legs. As your legs approach vertical you can move your hips back, towards your head, to keep your center of gravity over a point between shoulders and elbows.

An alternative is to prebrace the neck prior to lifting the feet by pressing the back of the head into the floor.

This then "widens" or broadens your foundation from front to back since the tension in the back of the neck forces the head to act as part of the foundation. You can then lift your legs without having to move your hips so far forwards.

Balancing in Handstand

For balancing in handstands the intent can be to keep your center over your hands. When jumping up you'll probably have to angle your arms so that your shoulders move forwards. This then gets your center over your hands.

As you bring the legs up past the horizontal then you can bring your shoulders back over your hands so that your arms are vertical.

In both headstand and handstand to reduce the need for your center of gravity to go forwards, bend the knees or move the legs out to the sides as you lift them

Or scissor the legs, bringing one leg behind the body to help balance the weight of the leg that is in front of the body.

If you are doing a handstand against a wall then you can use a similiar understanding to get your feet off of the wall. Either pull your pelvis forwards first to get your center over your hands or scissor one leg forwards to get your weight over your hands. If you pelvis is forwards, then as you bring your feet off of the wall move your pelvis backwards to maintain balance.

If scissoring the legs, then after removing your other leg from the wall bring both legs together to keep your center of gravity over your hands.

Stability and Feeling Your Center of Gravity

I've included a slightly more detailed discussion of balance, (most notably using floor contact to feel where your center of gravity is with respect to your foundation) in the ebook Balance Basics.

As a yoga teacher, I'm constantly exploring new exercises, new ways of doing yoga poses.

There is no single "right way" of doing a yoga pose. Instead, there are options. And the better you are at "feeling" your body, the better you can get at choosing the right option for your body as it is now.

For any technique, the point of practice is to learn feel it and to control it, so that it can be used without thinking about how to use it.

And that is more or less the approach taken in all of my ebooks and videos. They help you to feel your body and control it so that you can work towards using it effectively in anything that you do.